Introduction to the Great Highland Bagpipe - Finding a Teacher and a Band

Getting Started

After discussing the history and operation of the Great Highland Bagpipe, it is now possible to cover the steps needed to start learning to play the bagpipe. Students do not start learning on the full set of pipes. To make things easier in the beginning, students start learning on a practice chanter. The bagpipe is a complicated instrument to both play and maintain; however, learning is made much easier with proper instruction. Although it is possible to learn through self-instruction, proper instruction greatly increases the chance for success. In addition, a good teacher will prevent a student piper from picking up bad fingering habits, which are the bane of student pipers. Once a bad habit is learned, it can be extremely difficult to relearn the proper technique. Teachers also provide instruction in the proper expression of piping music. Proper phrasing is vital for a piper to learn, as it is the only method of expression on the bagpipe. Changes in volume and rest beats are not possible on the bagpipe, so the timing of the music is what provides the expression. [8]

The Practice Chanter

A full set of pipes is fairly expensive; however, a new piper only needs to buy a practice chanter when starting the learning process. A good quality practice chanter should only cost between $50 and $150, which is not an extreme initial investment. There are some practice chanters that are extremely inexpensive, but many of them are of poor quality. A piper will use a practice chanter throughout his or her piping career, so spending a little extra money at this stage is worthwhile.

An example of a typical practice chanter is provided in Figure 5. It looks very similar to a recorder; however, the fingering is exactly the same as the full set of pipes. Unlike the bagpipe, the practice chanter is mouth-blown. A student will usually play only the practice chanter for the first several months when learning the bagpipe. This means the expense of buying a full set of pipes can be postponed for several months. If a student decides to stop learning after a short time, only the cost of the practice chanter will have been invested. Thus, the initial expense required to start learning is very low.

Full-size versus regular-size practice chanters. Practice chanters are sold in two different sizes: full-size and regular-size. The regular-size practice chanter is the most common. Although it has the same fingering as the bagpipe chanter on the full set of pipes, the spacing between the holes is a bit smaller. The purpose of this is to allow a child with small fingers to begin learning to play the bagpipe. As the child grows older and moves on to the full set of pipes, he or she will have grown some and be ready for the larger chanter finger spacing. The full-size practice chanter has the same spacing as the bagpipe chanter on the full set of pipes. The means that the transition to the full set of pipes will be less of a change. Unless an adult learner has very small hands, it is better to buy a full-size practice chanter. They cost a bit more than the regular-size practice chanter, but the ease in transition makes it worth the added cost.

Finding a Teacher and a Band

Depending on the student's location in the United States, finding a teacher can take some time. There are dozens of guitar, piano, and vocal teachers in major cities, but bagpipe teachers are much rarer. An excellent resource for the aspiring piper is the "Bagpipe Teachers List," which is maintained on the World Wide Web at the following address: http://celtic.stanford.edu/instruments/pipes/teachers. [9] This list is organized by geographic region, so a student can quickly find teachers that are nearby.

If a teacher is not within driving distance, it is possible to learn through self-instruction. However, it will be more difficult than having instruction from a good teacher. There are videos and cassettes available as tutorials for the novice piper. The "Buying Supplies" section lists bagpipe suppliers, and they typically carry instructional material. So, even pipers that live in remote areas still have the opportunity to learn to play the bagpipes. It will, however, be a more challenging endeavor.

One of the easiest ways to find a teacher is to locate a local pipe band. Most bands are eager to recruit pipers, and they often have designated members to provide instruction to new students. In many cases, basic instruction is provided at no cost. In addition, bands often provide their members with uniforms at little or no charge. This can save a student hundreds of dollars, as a full set of Highland attire for a piper can be quite expensive. The one disadvantage to instruction through a band is that some of the learning may be done in small groups instead of individually.

The cost of instruction through private lessons varies, but it is typically around what a lesson would cost on any musical instrument. Most teachers charge between $10 and $20 for a one hour lesson. For a new student, lessons should be weekly. Students that have progressed on the pipes may be able to reduce the frequency of lessons to once or twice a month. Even after several years of learning, periodic lessons are a vital part of piping. It is very helpful to have an objective, experienced listener.

Piping Schools

As a student progresses in the learning process, piping schools can offer a chance to receive expert instruction from top pipers around the world. Various organizations offer one or two week schools around the United States. These schools are concentrated learning sessions, and they have classes for several hours a day. The schools provide instruction for pipers of all levels of experience. They offer a piper the chance to learn new tunes, receive instruction from top pipers, and meet other pipers. A current list of piping schools is provided by Ewan MacPherson at the following address: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~emacpher/pipes/education.html. [10]

Finding a teacher can be a challenge in the United States, but most cities have at least one piper that offers instruction. Pipe bands are often quite eager to recruit new pipers, and many will offer free instruction. Finally, if no teachers or bands are available, self-instruction is possible. The number of piping tutor videos and cassettes continues to increase, and they offer the student great assistance with learning proper technique. Once a piper has progressed through the learning process for several months, it will be time to purchase a full set of pipes.

garycox@io.com
Date last modified: 8/8/98